Tag Archives: end of the age

We are told in Revelation 1:3 not only that John is a prophet in the vein of the Old Testament prophets, but that the time for the events recorded in this prophecy was “at hand.” However, how should we understand the words: at hand? (cf. Revelation 22:12, 20)? Many believers today think nearly all the Apocalypse is yet to be fulfilled in the future. However, the internal evidence tells a different story. John says the fulfillment of what he was given was at hand (G1451 – Revelation 1:3), or according to Thayer’s Greek Definitions: near, imminent or soon to come to pass. Read the rest of this entry »

In recent studies I have been demonstrating that the Greek word genea (G1074), usually translated generation in both the New Covenant scriptures and the Septuagint’s Old Covenant testimony, cannot mean race. Nevertheless, some scholars claim genea means race, which seems to be nothing more than an effort to rescue their dispensational point of view of the Olivet Prophecy. However, an honest reading of the New Covenant scriptures, especially the 39 verses that mention this Greek word, would clearly demonstrate that the word race is never even implied by the New Covenant writers, when they use this Greek word. Read the rest of this entry »

We need only to use the Gospel according to Matthew in order to show exactly how Jesus and his contemporaries understood the word generation. Nevertheless, there seems to be a great deal of confusion in Christian circles, today, over the understanding of this word, as it pertains to knowing the time of Jesus’ Second Coming. Because some of our modern scholars want to place this generation far into the future from when the Gospel had just begun in the first century AD, most believers have come to accept and believe that the return of Christ was prophesied to occur in our day or, perhaps, even more than 2000 years after Jesus’ crucifixion. Nevertheless, if we truly believe that it is impossible for God to lie (Hebrews 6:18; Romans 3:4; Titus 1:2), then we need to pause and reconsider what believe about the timing of Jesus’ Second Coming. Read the rest of this entry »

During the final week of Jesus life on the earth, he was approached by the Sadducees, who deny the authenticity of the resurrection (Luke 20:27). In their debates with the Pharisees, who did believe in the resurrection (Acts 23:6-8), they would often offer a myth or a fabricated story in an effort to express what they assumed to be a silly idea. That is, they thought the resurrection, itself, was a myth and more, simply a silly idea. Therefore, they approached Jesus with a myth (Luke 20:28-33) they no doubt used many times to prove the resurrection was a false claim. Their myth centered around the levirate marriage law in the Mosaic Covenant (Deuteronomy 25:5-10). This is the law behind the marriage of Ruth and Boaz, the great grandparents of David, the King (Ruth 4:1-10, 18-22). Read the rest of this entry »

Many of the commentaries that I have place Matthew 25:31 and following at the end of time, or the end of the Gospel age. Some don’t even have Christians participating in this judgment, because they had been removed from the earth in the previous age. Yet, nothing like this appears in the plain reading of the scripture. Nothing is said about the end of time. That has to be brought to the table by the person interpreting the scripture. In other words, it is a doctrine of men, because it cannot be found in the scriptures. Neither could the end of the Gospel age be a proper interpretation, because no such thing is ever mentioned in scripture (cf. Daniel 2:44). It, too, is a doctrine of men. What does the scripture actually say? Read the rest of this entry »

Presently, I am looking at the parables of Jesus, with a special interest to their eschatology, whenever Jesus pointed to it. Lately, I have been considering what some call the Parable of the Final Judgment (Matthew 25:31 and following). The context begins with the ‘Son of Man’ coming in his glory, together with all the angels, at which time he will sit on the throne of his glory. All nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate them as a shepherd would his sheep from the goats (Matthew 25:31-32). Read the rest of this entry »

Many Christians today believe we have been commissioned by Christ to preach the Gospel throughout the world as a witness to all nations (Matthew 28:19-20). The problem with this understanding is that Mark records the same commission with similar language but he adds: “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” So, if **we** have been commissioned by Jesus to preach the Gospel throughout the world and to every creature, why don’t these signs follow us?